There’s no shortage of methods that wine enthusiasts recommend for storing your favorite bottles. From building a dedicated wine cellar to refrigerating your bottles in a wine cooler to keeping them in a wine rack, there are plenty of recommended methods — and it can be challenging to wrap your head around which method is best for your wine storage needs.
In general, there’s no one correct way to do things — and this principle applies to storing wine. If you’ve considered using a dedicated wine box to store and protect your collection, you’ll be pleased to know that this is another excellent storage method. Here are the top benefits you should be aware of.
Why Should I Use Wine Storage Boxes?
Wine storage boxes are excellent for protecting your collection from the elements. When you use these boxes correctly, you can trust that your wine collection is protected against vibration, fluctuating humidity, and bright light. Best of all, since a wine box is insulated, your collection will also be protected from changes in the surrounding air temperature.
The 4 Top Benefits of Wine Storage Boxes
1. Wine Storage Boxes Help Keep Temperature Stable
If you want to keep your bottles of wine in the best condition, one of the most important things you can do is ensure that the bottles stay at an ideal temperature. Specifically, you should never let the bottles reach temperatures above 70°F, as the wine will quickly lose its distinctive flavors.
Depending on how you use them, storing your bottles in wine storage boxes is one of the best ways to protect your wine against these extreme temperatures. Like wine cellars, wine storage boxes are perfect for putting in a dark and cool corner because they will insulate against surrounding heat and maintain a cool temperature.
If you place your wine storage boxes in direct sunlight or beside hot appliances, it won’t be long before the bottles start heating up. For this reason, it’s important to note that you’ll need to place your wine boxes in a properly cool and dark storage space if you want them to protect your wine correctly.
Once you’ve placed your wine storage box and stored your collection, you’ll quickly notice how stable the temperature stays. Ideally, you should put the wine storage box in a small room or space that you can condition to maintain a temperature close to 55°. At this temperature, your wine will remain delicious for several years to come.
2. Wine Storage Boxes Insulate Against Vibrations
While it isn’t commonly known, environmental vibrations are one of the biggest culprits that cause bottles of wine to age or develop bad flavors prematurely. And unfortunately, when wine bottles are stored in places like the fridge door, these flavors develop very quickly.
Simply put, the vibrations from electronic appliances like refrigerators or the motion of a fridge door opening cause the substrate at the bottom of the wine bottle to rise and stir. While this isn’t an issue with a bottle you intend to drink quickly, this can cause bad flavors to develop throughout long-term storage.
If you want to ensure the substrate in your bottles of wine stays intact and that the wines maintain their intended flavors, one of the best things you can do is store your bottles of wine properly in wine storage boxes. Since these boxes stay in one place and don’t have a compressor or other mechanical part that produces vibrations, your wine will remain undisturbed.
When it comes to storing your wine for years, this can make a big difference. The sediment within the wine will quickly sink to the bottom of the bottle, effectively preventing the wine from feeling gritty when served or from developing bad flavors as the years pass.
3. Wine Storage Boxes Protect Your Wine From Light
One of the worst things that can happen to a bottle of wine is exposure to light. This phenomenon is generally known as ‘light-struck,’ and unfortunately, there’s no way to fix the exposed wine. And given the highly unpleasant flavors and mouthfeel that develop, it often makes bottles inedible.
When wine is exposed to light from fluorescent bulbs or the sun, sulfurous compounds will begin to form in the wine. This causes funky rotten-egg flavors to develop in the wine. Unfortunately, it only takes around two weeks of exposure to light for these flavors to become apparent.
The amount of light it takes to ruin a bottle of wine does vary. Direct sunlight is much more harmful than light from fixtures since the heat from the sunlight also contributes to the aging of the wine. White wines are more susceptible to damage from light than darker varieties, as red wines have a high concentration of tannins to protect them.
If you use wine storage boxes for protection, you can be certain that your favorite bottles of wine won’t age prematurely by exposure to light. In fact, while wine stored in direct light will only last a few weeks at best, wine appropriately stored in storage boxes can last for years.
4. Wine Storage Boxes Reduce Environmental Humidity Fluctuations
If you want your wine to last as long as possible, one of the most important things you should do is ensure that the humidity is at proper levels and doesn’t fluctuate. When you configure your home correctly and use wine storage boxes, you can trust that your collection will be kept in the proper conditions.
Humidity is one of the essential wine storage aspects to consider. If the environment is too dry, the corks on your bottles of wine will quickly dry out and allow the wine to oxidize. This causes exceptionally unpleasant flavors to develop. Likewise, the labels may wrinkle and deform from condensation if the air is too moist. The environment will become ideal for mold growth.
When you decide where to store your wine, you should use a humidity sensor and a humidifier to ensure that the space remains at humidity levels of around 60% to 85%. Storing your bottles in wine storage boxes will further insulate them against environmental fluctuations and help you maintain ideal conditions.
Conclusion
Storing your wine properly is a complicated process. Worse yet, it can feel impossible to decide between all the methods touted as “the best” on the internet. However, there are very few wrong ways to store your wine as long as you control the right environmental factors.
Wine storage boxes are a perfect solution for your wine storage needs. They protect your favorite bottles against temperature fluctuations and light. Additionally, they insulate against vibrations and help maintain stable humidity to keep the cork moist when paired with a sensor and humidifier. Using this guide, you won’t have any trouble using wine storage boxes for your collection.
